Today marks the beginning of the games and in celebration Growing Up Milk Info has done a little research into how your little one stacks up against the world's top athletes! Read on for more information :
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TODDLERS CLIMB THEIR WAY TO THE TOP OF THE PODIUM
Research from Growingupmilkinfo.com reveals that it's not just the world's leading athletes that will be getting a workout over the next few weeks, with toddlers across the nation also conquering physical feats.
It comes as no surprise that toddlers are growing at an extraordinary pace, taking on major milestones, like crawling, climbing and walking. But what mums and dads may not realise is that, on a daily basis, the nutrition our little ones require to achieve these core activities is comparable to the power top sportspeople need to complete major feats like:
• Running 30 miles at 10 minutes per mile – Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia, the current 5,000m world champion, holds the record of 12:37.35 – which sees him run just over 30 miles at 97 minutes per mile
• Cycling 82 miles at 12-14 mph – that’s 524 times the laps of the Velodrome arena
• More than 300 minutes of competitive football – that’s the quarter, semi and final games...plus extra time at every match
• 250 minutes boxing – that’s 83 rounds in the ring, which is over 27 individual fights
• Nearly six hours hurdling – enough time for Dayron Robles, the world’s fastest 110m hurdler, to leap the course 1,678 times
• Rowing for six hours – plenty of time for the British team to row over 16 laps of Eton Dorney lake
The First Steps Research, commissioned by www.growingupmilkinfo.com, highlights how a toddler’s daily antics, which might include tottering from one end of the sofa to the other, playing in their sandpit and even their afternoon nap, uses the same energy, when compared ‘pound for pound’ to an adult running 30 miles.
Leading dietitian Dr Carrie Ruxton explains the science behind these findings: “If a little one saw their mum or dad run a marathon every day they would be pretty impressed! Of course, parents experience the same positive emotions when they witness the many milestones their toddler achieves each week…they are just unaware how much extra nutrition is needed to fuel this amazing development between the ages of one and three years.
“To illustrate the difference between a toddler’s and an adult’s diet, the First Steps Research worked out the average calories required to support a toddler on a daily basis. We took into consideration their weight, resting metabolic rate and energy necessary for growth, development and activity. Each of these factors, when compared with an average 70kg (154lb) adult, equated ‘pound for pound’ to a 3,600 calorie daily diet for an adult. Enough to run marathons, climb Ben Nevis twice and box more than seven fights consecutively.
“I hope the findings of the First Steps Research go some way to help parents understand why it is so important for our toddlers to get the ‘right’ healthy balanced diet designed to meet their special nutritional needs – including the right amount of vitamins – for this amazing period of growth and development.”
Getting the ‘right’ nutrition is the key point, as additional research by growingupmilkinfo.com reveals that more than three quarters (78%) of parents think their toddler’s dietary needs are met if they eat the same meals as the rest of their family. In fact, ‘pound for pound’ (per kg of body weight, per day) toddlers require:
• Nearly three times as much energy from food compared to adults
• More than four times the amount of iron and vitamin C
• Around three times the amount of calcium, zinc and vitamin A
• More fat than adults, particularly ‘good’ unsaturated fats
• Less salt in their food than adults
Growing Up Milk is made from cows' milk enriched with key nutrients that toddlers need, like vitamins A, C and D, iron and calcium. Giving your ‘Little One-der’ two 150ml beakers of Growing Up Milk each day is an easy way to help provide them with the extra nutrients they need, as part of a healthy balanced diet. Growing Up Milks provide about 70% of the daily toddler vitamin D requirement.
To find out more about the extraordinary growth and development that toddlers go through, visit www.growingupmilkinfo.com. The website offers advice and opinions from experts and mums on toddler nutrition and the role Growing Up Milk can play to help support our Little Ones.
Disclosure : I'a a Growing Up Milk Mumtor which means I get occasional gifts and free samples to pass on to friends. I haven't been paid to share this post with you, I just thought it was interesting.
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